


Interlude, in Darkness

by Luthien



Series: Luthien Does Writer's Month 2019 [10]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Australia, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Australia, F/M, Holiday Fling, holiday romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-19 07:27:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20205970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luthien/pseuds/Luthien
Summary: What it says on the tin.FollowsTime Travel and Moments Out of Time.Fill for Writer's Month 2019 Day 10: dark AU. (Look, they're in total darkness, and it's an AU, so it counts!)





	Interlude, in Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Nire for looking this over, and general hand-holding.

Jaime awoke to the unfamiliar sensation of a head pillowed against his chest. It was still night, and the blinds were drawn, leaving the bedroom pitch black. It took him a moment to work out where he was and who he was with. There was a warm body curled against his side. A very long, very naked female body.

_Brienne_.

He smiled into the darkness. It was weird to think that at this time last night he'd been sleeping alone in this bed, not even aware that she existed. And where had she been? Sleeping in some fleapit up the coast somewhere, with that little weasel Hunt in the next room. Tonight was a vast improvement, and not just because no flea would dare show its face in any of the accommodation offered by this resort.

Jaime lifted his hand and very gently stroked his fingers through Brienne's hair. She shifted a little in her sleep, and murmured something that didn't seem to have any actual words in it, before throwing an arm possessively across his chest and settling back close against him.

How long was it since he'd last spent the night with someone? Hell, how long was it since he'd spent any time at all in bed with someone? He was Jaime Lannister, possessor of a famous family name, and heir to the fortune that came with that name. He could have had just about any woman he wanted. It wasn't that he had tickets on himself, as his Aunt Genna might have put it; it was just the simple, boring truth. He could have had anyone, without exerting any real effort, and he had wound up wanting no one.

Not that any of those women really wanted _him_. They wanted to be seen on Jaime Lannister's arm, sure. They wanted to be photographed and to appear in the society pages, without a doubt. And to be mentioned in the gossip columns, the million and one websites that waited out there on the internet, slavering for ever more content. Those women wanted to finagle their way into his bed, and from there into his life until they were stuck fast, and it was impossible to extricate them. And yes, all right, their desire to fuck him was probably real enough. He knew he was physically attractive—if he'd had any doubts, all the gushing articles on those celebrity gossip sites out there would soon have disabused him of that particular notion. But he also knew that his looks, together with the old money and unsurpassed status of his family in Sydney society, made for a potent combination as strong as any aphrodisiac for a certain type of woman.

Unfortunately, that certain type of woman was generally the only type of woman between the ages of too young and too old to cross Jaime's path, with the exception of the employees of Lannistercorp. However, he'd always made it a firm personal rule to treat employees as out of bounds when it came to anything other than work, so they most definitely didn't count.

But today he'd met Brienne. Brienne, to whom the Lannister name meant nothing. Brienne, who'd looked at him and simply seen a man. Brienne, who'd at first wanted nothing from him but a cup of tea. Brienne, who'd stood before him, nervous, unsure and _brave_, and kissed him _first_. Brienne who cried out in unfeigned, unfettered pleasure at the touch of his hands and lips and tongue. Brienne, who wouldn't have known how to play the game even if she knew the game existed.

She was just so fucking sincere. Jaime had forgotten what it was like to be around that kind of sincerity, if he'd ever experienced it at all. As a Lannister, you learnt early to be suspicious of the motives of everyone around you—other Lannisters more than anyone.

Brienne had no game face, no arsenal of smiles and quips. She was just… Brienne. And the longer he was around her, the more he felt simply like… Jaime. He had a feeling that he'd spent most of today _being_ Jaime Lannister, instead of just playing him. He didn't know how long it had been, how many years, since he last let himself just _be_ when he was with someone else.

He didn't know how much longer he could keep that up. Reality kept threatening to intrude. He'd fended it off successfully, so far, even on the beach this afternoon, when the life saver had recognised him but, by some miracle, somehow _not_ addressed Jaime as 'Mr Lannister'. If he had… well, that punch—Jaime wasn't going to dignify such a one-sided battle by calling it a fight—or at least its aftermath would have been all over social media before he and Brienne had even left the beach. As it was, he could easily have been recognised by any number of people in the crowd that had gathered around them.

It had still been worth it, though. He'd relished the smack of his fist hitting that little bastard's jaw, even if his hand had hurt like fury afterwards. Even more satisfying had been the look on Brienne's face. Satisfying, but infuriating, too. She'd looked so shocked, before the exhilaration had taken over, and he'd won a radiant smile from her. Hadn't anyone _ever_ stood up for her before?

He'd told her, there on the beach, that she had him now. As soon as he'd said it, he'd realised to his shock that he meant it—and not just for the next week. It hadn't even been a day and he already knew that this was special, that he could walk into Brienne's waters and just keep going, without ever feeling he was in too deep.

It was crazy, he hardly knew her, he hardly knew anything _about_ her, but Jaime was sure. When all of your options had for so long consisted of what you didn't want, and then fate smiled on you and presented you with something that you could want, that you _did_ want, there could be no room left for doubt.

Brienne stirred against him. "Mmmph?" she asked, and Jaime felt her lips against his jaw, seeking and then finding his mouth.

He kissed her, there in the dark, and was glad that she couldn't see whatever expression was on his face. It would have given him away for sure. For the first time in forever, Jaime knew what he wanted.

Now he just had to find a way not to scare her off.

**Author's Note:**

> <strike>To be continued with tomorrow's prompt: whump.</strike>
> 
> Continued with Day 13's prompt "feelings", instead!


End file.
